Email marketing can be trickier for nonprofits than for-profit businesses.
After all, people don’t receive material goods or services in exchange for their money. They get the warm feeling that comes from giving to a charitable organization they care about.
For that reason, the pushy sales tactics or overtly obvious ads are off the table for an effective nonprofit email campaign.
To create an email marketing plan specifically for nonprofits, follow these simple tips.
Choose the Right Time
You’ll hear all kinds of advice about when the best time is to send an email. Many people say that it’s during the week, but this is only true when it concerns emails related to business.
Personal emails, including those from charitable organizations, have the highest click-through rates on the weekends.
Unsubscribing from email lists occurs more frequently on Monday or Tuesday. Emails sent between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. also get the highest click-through rates, no matter what day it is.
This is probably due to the fact that people are just starting their day and don’t feel as rushed to get through things as they do later in the day.
Make It Mobile-Friendly
Most people who have smartphones read their email on those devices rather than at the computer.
Are your email messages mobile-friendly?
Is your website mobile friendly?
Get rid of any unnecessary graphics or templates. Streamline your messages to be attractive, yet easy to read on any device. Keep your messages short and simple. Encourage users to forward the messages or share them on their social networks. These actions are all easily performed on today’s smartphones.
Frequency of Messages
Many nonprofits have a fear of annoying their readers with too many emails. This is simply not the case. Someone who is truly interested in scholarships for military dependents won’t mind several emails each week. If you create interesting content and send emails at the optimum time, the frequency is largely irrelevant so long as it’s within a normal range.
A few emails per week are acceptable, but you’ll want to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays when unsubscribing is highest.
Attract New Subscribers
No matter how interesting your subject line and content are, as your email list gets older, click-throughs will decrease. People get used to seeing you in their inbox and the email messages may no longer interest them as much as they once did. After all, people’s interests diminish over time. Make a continual effort to gain new subscribers so that the impact of an aging list is minimal.
Email marketing is a very low-cost way to reach people with your message. The better your email marketing tactics, the more money you have to spend on your work, so make sure you take these tips on board.
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